The Holy Bowl is a fictional* rivalry game in the International American Football League (simulated by ZenGM Football[1]) between the Vatican City Devils and the Shawnee Monks. This is seen as one of the most intense rivalry games in the IAFL and often holds big steaks on a team's postseason/morale[2].

* Disclaimer all information found on this page is fictional and does not apply to the real world.

Origin

edit
The Holy Bowl
SportFootball
Teams
  • Vatican City Devils
  • Shawnee Monks
First meeting2030 IAFL Season
Latest meeting2046 IAFL Season
StadiumsVatican City:
Devil Dome

Shawnee:
Crain Family Memorial Stadium
Intel Stadium
Statistics
All-time seriesVatican City Devils 2-1
Longest win streakVatican City: 5
Current win streakVatican City: 5

The rivalry originated in the year 2030 when the Vatican City Devils played the recent expansion team Monks in the first ever contest. The Devils would end up overwhelming the Monks defense by winning 35-3.

The name "Holy Bowl" is a reference to the Catholic backgrounds of both teams. Other lesser used names include "The Sacred Game", "The Game of Saints", or "The Blessed Contest."

History/Overview

edit

The inaugural Holy Bowl took place in the year 2030 when the Devils stormed into Crain Family Memorial Stadium in Shawnee, OK and defeated the Monks 35-3. The game would resume 5 years later in 2035 when the underdog Vatican City (3-6) would host the Monks (9-2) and win in a low scoring affair 13-9. The third edition of the game would resume two years after that when the Devils would host again but fall to the Monks in a close game 33-29, giving Shawnee their first win in the series.

Trophy

edit

"The Altar" is the traveling trophy for the series in which the defending champion carries. Unlike most rivalry games, the trophy is also played for during the occurrence of a postseason matchup. The altar is commonly the center of focus in Catholic masses[3]. The Altar has a huge significance on this rivalry because of the strong Catholic background from both teams.

Game Results

edit
Vatican City victoriesShawnee victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScoreAttendence
12030Shawnee, OKVatican City35–320,100
22035Vatican City, VAVatican City13–964,526
32037Vatican City, VAShawnee33–2998,968
42040Shawnee, OKVatican City34–3180,000
52041Shawnee, OKVatican City41–1780,000
62043Shawnee, OKVatican City31–2878,348
72045Vatican City, VAVatican City20–16100,000
82046Vatican City, VAVatican City40–30103,000
Series: Vatican City leads 7–1

References

edit
  1. ^ "Football GM". football.zengm.com. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  2. ^ "ESPN.com: Page 2 : Why are rivalries so intense?". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  3. ^ "Altar | Religious Ceremonies & Symbolism | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.